There's no question that Warner Bros.'s decision to scrap Leslie Grace's Batgirl was irredeemable, which was initially planned to hit neither HBO Max nor theaters this year. The unforeseen cancelation resulted in a tremendous blow for actors and crews who worked tirelessly for almost seven months to craft the film, with a reported $90 million budget.
DC Fans Push Warner Bros. to #ReleaseBatgirl
Now, almost three weeks later since the film's disheartening cancellation, the fans show no signs of stopping supporting Batgirl and even hosted a fan event that aims to persuade Warner Bros. to release the film, with the official hashtag #ReleaseBatgirl.
See the official event hosted by @BatgirlFilm on Twitter below:
Why Did Warner Bros. Scrapped Batgirl?
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. officially offered their first statement regarding the film's cancellation, clarifying that Leslie Grace's performance wasn't the problem:
“The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max… Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor, and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts, and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future.”
However, according to a report from Variety, Batgirl was canceled due to the movie being “neither big enough to feel worthy of a major theatrical release nor small enough to make economic sense:”
"Batgirl found itself on the bad end of that decision, apparently neither big enough to feel worthy of a major theatrical release nor small enough to make economic sense in an increasingly cutthroat streaming landscape. Spending the money to expand the scope of Batgirl for theaters — plus the $30 million to $50 million needed to market it domestically and the tens of millions more needed for a global rollout — could have nearly doubled spending on the film, and insiders say that was a non-starter at a company newly focused on belt-tightening and the bottom line.”
Although Warner Bros.'s decision might be conclusive at this point, there's still hope that they will eventually listen to fans' demands. Before Batgirl, Warner Bros. was also flooded by the same fan petitions, with fans demanding the Snyder's Cut of 2017's Justice League to be released. Now, if these fan petitions persist for Batgirl, Warner Bros. might actually do the same.
Stay Tuned for more updates about Batgirl!
Also read: Batgirl Directors Recall Film’s ‘Harsh’ and ‘Painful’ Cancelation in Emotional Video